Sometimes I miss Jeff D. and Herk, and some others, with actual heartache, as if they had been influential teachers in my youth........ or lovers who left pleasant as well as stimulating memories rather ethan the usual vituperation.

Ah, I haven't left forever.

And as to "life pressures," that's right on. So here's my story:

I seldom do forums anymore, and I haven't been into the blog either because I've taken up videos. I started making YouTube videos and at first it was just clumsy man-in-the-cave videos railing against the forces of evil like I always do, but then I pulled a bright idea out of my rectal orifice that I was some kind of actor and producer and set manager and special effects wizard and add anything you like.

So I set out on a journey of making noir films. Ha!

At first, I had no idea where I was going with it, but I vowed to make each video better than the last. I started with episode five or six because I thought I could do better than Lucas.

And after a few episodes, with incredibly bad sfx, I needed a bat. A flying bat. An animated flying bat. So I went looking for one. Eventually, I found one, but it needed to be animated, and that meant learning to work in an animation program.

Sure, I could knock that out in a few weeks, right?

It's been eight months since I made a video, but I work on backgrounds and scenes and objects for the videos every day. I started with my dining room as a detective office because I couldn't find any free pics online that were useful, then I began to 'photoshop' more walls and once I got into graphics I made the office from scratch in 3D.

I've made a number of things and you'd have to see them to believe them. I've made underground caves with elevators and a railroad and villains and thugs and cops and of course my intrepid detective, Nick Herk, who started out trying to talk like Bogart but gave it up.

I'm currently working on a '37 Chevy - probably one of the most difficult automobiles I could have picked - and the office from the street, and avatars, and church towers.

And I'm in a sort of graphics trap. Who knew it would all take so long? Originally, I just used photo backgrounds with a bit of fakery, but now I'm working on 3-D fakery. It's just overwhelming.

So there you have it.

In my personal life, I'm semi-retired, but still working enough to supplement the SS. Not only did I not plan for my retirement, I seldom plan a day ahead. But that's just me.

I'm touched by all the comments made about me. Thanks so much.

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool." - Richard P. Feynman

Gord wrote:...We were, um ... I can never remember the name of it. They don't allow blood transfusions. Those guys. Anyway, when I was 2, I had to have a blood transfusion to save my life, so my family was kicked out of the church. Not a big deal to them at the time, apparently. It was basically just, "You did what? But then you can't be one of us!" and "Okay, we'll leave then." Guess my family was more of a hanger-on group than an actual bunch of nitty-gritty believers.

After that we would go to a different church every Sunday....

After nearly 50 years of hearing my mother tell me the story of how our family was kicked out of our church because I got a blood transfusion when I was 2, she told me several days ago that this never happened and in fact that she had never told me any such thing ever in the first place.

My mother is 85, and I can't tell if she's lost her mind now or if she was telling me lies all those years.

On the other hand, maybe she never told me any of that and I made it all up. Repeatedly. Complete with memories of having been told the same story many times.

This is another of those "what the {!#%@}" moments that happen every ten years or so around me.

Gord wrote: she told me several days ago that this never happened and in fact that she had never told me any such thing ever in the first place.

I used to get that too.

I went on a seven day cubs (junior boy scouts) bush walk. Two decades later, my mother insisted it was my brother, who went. I would ask my mother if my brother was in the cubs. She would say "No". I'd ask "So why was he on this cubs bush walk?". She would say "Ask your father". My father continually got my name mixed up with my dog Marco Polo. Dad would say "He's right, Marco went as he was in the cubs" My mother would say "See I'm right, dogs can't join cubs" Dad would say "Why would Matthew (looking at the dog) join a cub group?". He'd look at me and say "Marco, what is your mother going on about?"

I'd normally give up at that point.

(My father was devoted to me, as I was to him.....he just wasn't good on names)

hi Julia, nice to meet you. I believe in God....bad stuff that has happened in my life hasn't destroyed my faith. It just made me read and learn more about our multi-dimensional existence and try to learn why things happen as they do. I have had unusual experiences and received healing a few times when I asked for it so I do feel higher evolved beings are there to help. I've had family members meet dead relatives a few times and I read about near death experiences often---very interesting to read about. One day your view of God will change...God is real, though He/She is not as portrayed by humans often it seems. Truth never changes, we are the ones who will change, learn more, and eventually accept truth.

Gord wrote: she told me several days ago that this never happened and in fact that she had never told me any such thing ever in the first place.

I used to get that too.

I went on a seven day cubs (junior boy scouts) bush walk. Two decades later, my mother insisted it was my brother, who went. I would ask my mother if my brother was in the cubs. She would say "No". I'd ask "So why was he on this cubs bush walk?". She would say "Ask your father". My father continually got my name mixed up with my dog Marco Polo. Dad would say "He's right, Marco went as he was in the cubs" My mother would say "See I'm right, dogs can't join cubs" Dad would say "Why would Matthew (looking at the dog) join a cub group?". He'd look at me and say "Marco, what is your mother going on about?"

I'd normally give up at that point.

(My father was devoted to me, as I was to him.....he just wasn't good on names)

Here's another one I just heard: My mother's father died before she was born, and for all these years he died of influenza (back in 1930). All of a sudden now, there was no influenza involved; he died while having his tonsils removed for a second time because they grew back. What happened to "died of influenza"?? My mother claims she never told me that. And now she's got more stories about how her father died from blood loss during the operation, and the military refused to pay the appropriate pension to my grandmother because my mother hadn't been born yet and so her father had "died without issue".

I don't mind hearing a new take on an old story, but to have the entire thing tossed out and replaced with something entirely different is absolutely freaking bizarre.

Gord wrote: she told me several days ago that this never happened and in fact that she had never told me any such thing ever in the first place.

I used to get that too.

I went on a seven day cubs (junior boy scouts) bush walk. Two decades later, my mother insisted it was my brother, who went. I would ask my mother if my brother was in the cubs. She would say "No". I'd ask "So why was he on this cubs bush walk?". She would say "Ask your father". My father continually got my name mixed up with my dog Marco Polo. Dad would say "He's right, Marco went as he was in the cubs" My mother would say "See I'm right, dogs can't join cubs" Dad would say "Why would Matthew (looking at the dog) join a cub group?". He'd look at me and say "Marco, what is your mother going on about?"

I'd normally give up at that point.

(My father was devoted to me, as I was to him.....he just wasn't good on names)

Is that why you changed your name to Matthew? So your dad wouldn't get you confused with the dog?

. . . with the satisfied air of a man who thinks he has an idea of his own because he has commented on the idea of another . . . - Alexandre Dumas 'The Count of Monte Cristo"

There is no statement so absurd that it has not been uttered by some philosopher. - Cicero

Gord wrote:but to have the entire thing tossed out and replaced with something entirely different is absolutely freaking bizarre.

It happenz to me fairly often. The way I solidly remember sumthing gets contradicted by sumwun else or actual recordingz, fotoz, film.

I hav a few theoryz.

1. iz that we are all in a bunch uv alternate realityz and wen wun uv your alternate selvez die, hiz consciousness goez into the remaining youz. Occasionally, sum uv the memoryz over rite the 'correct' memoryz for a particular reality. The main aspect uv this theory iz that the remaining youz are progressivly more powerful, successful, lucky etc., with amazing life storyz and you will eventually be God, wen the last alternate you finally gets killed off sumhow.

2. iz that sum peeps 'wander' between fairly close realityz and their memoryz often dont jibe with the facts in the reality they happen to be in at the moment a particular past event iz being discussed.

I've thought about similar things. The first and freakiest incident of all occurred when I was in university, and everyone in my class discovered a previously unseen paragraph in our main textbook and we all agreed hadn't been in it before.

Memory is a tricky thing. I have very definite memories of things that carefully considered were impossible to have happened. In my case....I was remembering............dreams. The meaning of this probably reverberates more than I have given it credit, but I think memories are memories. You just have to figure out: of what?

Have you ever awoken to a loud noise? If you process it, most often you can remember the sensory input==did your ears hear it or did you dream that noise?

Fun stuff.... how the dreams and memories work. THEN.... how you process any and all information within yourself.

Actually gives some heft and meaning to the term solipcism. Like a noise, its all we have. Fun stuff.

Real Name: bobbo the existential pragmatic evangelical anti-theist and Class Warrior.Asking: What is the most good for the most people?Sample Issue: Should the Feds provide all babies with free diapers?

NDEs... so many report nothing that isn't straight out of real life and its fantasies, nothing that hasn't or can't be thought of. And also often "having been an inch away" from the longed for place or information - only to be turned away. I think the so often mentioned reasons for the thwarted expectation (not yet, not suitable for your return to regular life, still having important things to do, etc.) is a soothing defense mechanism of a frustrated and hurt mind.

Earth is not our home, it is a school, don't know why people have nde's....maybe to let others know death is not the end...--------------------Seth by Jane Roberts--------------

“The child must mature, and your system is a maturing ground, a very primary one…. A beginning school…”

“The human race is a stage though which various forms of consciousness travel. Before you can be allowed into systems of reality that are more extensive and open, you must first learn to handle energy and see, through physical materialization, the concrete result of thought and emotion.”

“In more advanced systems, thoughts, and emotions are automatically and immediately translated into action, into whatever approximation of matter there exists. Therefore, the lessons must be taught and learned well. The responsibility for creation must be clearly understood.”

Their own hallucination. I suspect since, naturally, every human thinks and behaves as a human and has been told (and told others) from the cradle to the grave that some aspects of that are undesirable and even wrong, everyone is dealing with a deep-seated guilt. An often unconscious guilt (often increased and exploited by others and worked to their own favor, ya know, fill our collection plate here and get yer forgiveness, you worm...) that a beautiful NDE dream might alleviate by accepting them for who and what they are and telling them they are loved unconditionally anyway.

JuliaSweeney wrote:Welcome to the new forum here at skepticforum.com! The Skeptic Society is really important to me, and it's the first place I ever performed "Letting Go of God." I'm going to try to be more active on this forum than on my previous forum (which was on my own website.)

Well, the movie premiered this morning on Showtime. I know because I have already received about twenty letters from people who saw it! I am so happy and relieved that this the movie is finished, the tech specifications were all met, the insurance people were all paid and clauses were added and so forth and now it really, actually, truly is out in the world. I am really hopeful that more and more people will enjoy and relate to the show - or even just listen to my side of the story.

It's funny, when I started working on this show atheism was not popular (that's how my mom would put it - "Atheism is just a fad right now!") and I didn't get the sense from my audiences that anyone knew who Richard Dawkins was. So much has changed in the last few years! It's really exciting that this world view - this particular brand of skepticism - is becoming more acceptable in the U.S. I really notice the impact of the popular success of the books by Shermer, Dennett, Dawkins and Harris. I feel lucky to be participating in this discussion about religion and able to share my story and my particular journey.

My question is: Who Are You People, Anyway? On my last forum, people wrote in and explained briefly their story. I was thinking that this thread could possibly work like that too. I love reading about how people have come from to get to their particular world view. Many people came from much more conservative and fundamentalist backgrounds than I did. I think they are truly heroic for taking the risk of questioning the truths that serve to adhere them to their community. I also think it's remarkable for people to come to question religious dogma and the concept of God even if they were raised with no religion. I will check in from time to time to read your responses.

I want to thank Michael Shermer and the Skeptic Society for just... well, existing! I love the Skeptic Society and feel sad that now, since I live in Illinois, I cannot attend the lectures anymore. What a wonderful environment you have created for people to question and find others who are also questioning.

And that was all she wrote

The job of a skeptic is to investigate the unexplained; not to explain the uninvestigated.

gorgeous wrote:hi Julia, nice to meet you. I believe in God....bad stuff that has happened in my life hasn't destroyed my faith. It just made me read and learn more about our multi-dimensional existence and try to learn why things happen as they do. I have had unusual experiences and received healing a few times when I asked for it so I do feel higher evolved beings are there to help. I've had family members meet dead relatives a few times and I read about near death experiences often---very interesting to read about. One day your view of God will change...God is real, though He/She is not as portrayed by humans often it seems. Truth never changes, we are the ones who will change, learn more, and eventually accept truth.

Hey I'm new to this forum I'm so glad I found it!I myself am not atheist, however I do not adhere to religion or any of their concepts of God. One of my absolute favorite things is to discuss this topic and atheist are my favorite because the have to concept of God and thus more open minded to new information and ideas. I would absolutely love to talk to anyone about this topic, preferred that they have opposite views. Please reply!

Basically I believe that the only real form of matter is consciousness, there is no objective reality, and mostly that all observations of reality are illusionary based on limited human perception. Will dwell deeper apon reply.

Reading your post, I'd think you'd find some discussions of a similar vein in the Brain, Mind & Consciousness subforum, where several users expressed similar views and a few related topics "seem to exist" by now.